Google Squares Off Against Microsoft

Google has made it quite clear over that it wants to be a prominent contender in the social networking arena. So naturally, when Facebook was taking bids for a developer, Google jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, Facebook founders chose Microsoft for an undisclosed three year deal.

Google moved on and made an alliance with MySpace for $900 million dollars spread out for more than three years. Interestingly, Microsoft was denied the same deal from MySpace.

Google, being the social giant it is, then harnessed around a dozen additional social network partners such as LinkedIn, Friendster, and their own social networking site, Okrut, to build as big a base as possible. Google also plans to incorporate other applications like Flixster, iLike and RockYou for the music minded users.

Is this just a “I can do it better game” without having any real purpose? I don’t think so. Facebook software is notoriously known as costly and difficult to learn by developers and with Google creating a basic javascript and html code that can be used across most platforms, they offer a much needed remedy for unsatisfied developers.

TechCrunch, a leading blog on social media, “believes that the plan is likely to be a big hit with developers as well as Facebook’s rivals.” TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington states, “Developers have been complaining…Facebook-fear has clearly driven good partners to side with Google.”

I sense a schoolyard gang-up against Facebook. What do you think?

For more information, check out the article here.

"Make My Logo Bigger" is a Born Classic

There's a great viral campaign online called Make My Logo Bigger. The video is a hoot. All marketers must check it out. It's long but it's great for a laugh!

The PR Lawyer Makeover

We are excited to debut the new look of our blog; feel free to comment!

Also, check out Gina’s cover of her new book on the right hand side titled, “Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers,” which is due out in the next couple of weeks.

Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine Blocks PR People

This past Monday, Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of The Long Tail, wrote, a blog entry titled, “Sorry PR people: you're blocked.”

In the blog entry, Anderson has this to say:

I've had it. I get more than 300 emails a day and my problem isn't spam
(Cloudmark Desktop solves that nicely), it's PR people. Lazy flacks send press
releases to the Editor in Chief of Wired because they can't be bothered to find
out who on my staff, if anyone, might actually be interested in what they're
pitching. Fact: I am an actual person, not a team assigned to read press
releases and distribute them to the right editors and writers (that's
editor@wired.com).

So fair warning: I only want two kinds of
email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time
to find out what I'm interested in and composed a note meant to appeal to that
(I love those emails; indeed, that's why my email address is public).

Everything else gets banned on first abuse.

Anderson went on to publish a list of people and companies who had been blocked from his Outlook during the last 30 days. Just reading the comments took me 45 minutes so, as you can see, see this is a touchy subject.

Anderson posted a follow up yesterday which is well done and a good read for anyone planning to pitch media – especially Wired Magazine. One of the musings struck a personal cord with me. He says:

Amusing secondary effects include people pitching their business in the comments (which I thought was fine, btw), and even PR companies emailing the clients of people on the list and encouraging them to switch firms. "We're not on the list!" is their marketing tactic. Wow. [UPDATE: holy crap!]

I’d like to know how many of the practitioners telling their clients that they’re not on the list have never pitched a story to Wired in the first place?! I’d also like to know when Anderson is going to publish his next book on the crappy conundrums of PR practices. . .